Emma Grant's Harry Potter Recs

This list is hopelessly out of date. I had been bookmarking fics I wanted to rec, and then my computer crashed and I lost all of them! So what is below are some recs from about two years ago. At the bottom of the page are links to other people's recs pages, which are considerably more up to date than mine! (7/9/05)

If you want to know what I have recced recently, I have an LJ just for fic recommendations here.

WARNING: Many of my reviews below contain spoilers for the stories. I've tried not to give too much away while explaining what I liked about each fic. If you don't want to be spoiled at all, read the fic first and then read the review!

Oh, and if you've somehow wandered onto this page by accident, these fics are all slash. If you are underage or homophobic, please go away quietly.

Updated: 1/11/05

Check out the Post-Hogwarts Harry/Draco Fic list!

Harry/Draco

Title: A Sea Change
(http://www.livejournal.com/users/lapin_agile/1869.html)
Author: Lapin Agile
Rating: NC-17
Summary: Harry and Draco go sailing...
Review: Just... yum. Glorious UST.

Title: Alternate
(http://www.snoo.org/oojahs/alternate/alternate01.htm)
Author: Sam
Rating: NC-17?
Summary: It's Harry Potter's sixth year, and the international Quidditch Juniors World Cup is on. A handful of Hogwarts students are chosen to travel to Argentina and represent Great Britain -- including Harry as Seeker, and Draco...as his alternate. A chance encounter betweem the two suddenly changes everything, and now, as the finals near, Quidditch is about control, and sex is about winning.
Review: A really original plot, with lots of Quidditch action.

Title: Fucking Virginity
(http://www.livejournal.com/community/pornish_pixies/43152.html)
Author: Philalethia
Rating: NC-17
Summary: There was once a time when Harry Potter dreamt of losing his virginity to a girl.
Review: I LOVE bad, realistic, funny sex. This is such a glorious first-time fic, and sweet in its own way!

Title: Trade
( http://www.glassesreflect.net /hd17/trade.html )
Author: Aja
Rating: NC-17
Summary: Not all spells need to be cast, and not all bargains need to be made.
Review: Wow! This one left me shaking! All of the Hogwarts students wanted special (and illegal) potions made for them for Valentine's day, and Draco's set himself up in business to meet that demand. But then he gets a request from Harry Potter, of all people, and what Harry's offered in payment leaves Draco stunned. (No, it's not what you're thinking. Minds out of the gutter now!) The ending is great, and not something many writers seem willing to do.

Title: The Outing
(http://www.astronomytower.org/restrictedsection/fic.php?fic=at:/authors/natt/O.html)
Author: Natt
Rating: R
Summary: Lonely, irritated, and (most importantly) itching, Draco finds himself victim to Harry Potter's regard during a most unpleasant camping trip.
Review: I adore snarky, prissy Draco, and Natt's captured him perfectly! I cracked up laughing more then once while reading this, so consider that a spew warning, I suppose. Draco is the only Slytherin on the seventh year camping trip, and he's absolutely miserable, complete with mosquitos and physical discomfort. Harry tries to play nice with him. A favorite bit: "He sat on his log amidst the murmurs of a few Hufflepuffs and the smell of Potter's burning marshmallow. As he watched it cook, he was reminded of the time, as a child, he had set his white gerbil aflame. Heh."

Title: Veritas
(http://adultfan.nexcess.net/aff/story.php?no=10074)
Author: constantvigilance
Rating: R-ish
Summary: Gryffs and Slyths having a cozy get-together wherein the alcohol abounds and veritaserum changes the rules to a standard party game.
Review: There are lots of these "party game" fics, but this one, in which a group of seventh-years play "I Never", is one of the best I've read. It runs the gamut of emotions, almost seeming hokey at moments, but yet it's very real. It reminds me of playing that very drinking game (sans veritaserum, of course) as a college student, and people really did get emotional and confess things they otherwise would never have done. It hit a note with me, and I think that's why I decided to rec it here!

Title: Transfigurations
(http://trickster.org/res/transfig.html)
Author: Resonant
Rating: NC-17
Summary: Harry returns to teach at Hogwarts after a self-imposed exile in the States.
Review: This is one of the best post-Hogwarts fics I've ever read!  The beginning is eerily reminiscent of the books, and the story unfolds similarly.  I had to read it twice, because I wanted to experience it all again after I found out how it ended.  The characterizations are wonderful, and the story is genuinely intriguing.  The author builds a mystery and introduces a good deal of fascinating magic. If you've never read any HP slash, this is a grest place to start. I've read it three times now, and every time I love it even more!  

Title: Snitch
(http://www.schnoogle.com/restrictedsection/fic.php?fic=sch:/authors/al/S01.html)
Author: Al
Rating: R
Summary: In London's seedy criminal underworld, two old enemies have become partners in crime, but the wizarding world is out to disrupt Harry's none too peaceful existence. Guns, car chases, wizards, sex, slash, Slut!Draco and drug busts abound in a fast paced romantic thriller!
Review: This is apparently one of the classics of H/D slash. And I LOVED it! It reads like a pro novel in terms of plot and characterization. It's fast-paced and grounded in reality. The author knows London well, and you can learn a lot about the city just from reading this fic. It's an AU in which Harry was expelled from Hogwarts before graduating (and before having a chance to conquer Voldemort). The reason for his expulsion is eventually revealed, as is the truth about his life since that day. Harry's character in this fic is startling, and not the sweet Harry we often see even in AUs. He's heartless and brutal, almost psycotic at times, and clearly unbalanced. You want to wring his neck until you start to understand why.
This is an unfinished WIP, but it's still a great read, and I highly recommend it!
Note 2: Despite the WIP status, Al's written two great short sequel fics: The Dog and Drainpipe and A Fairytale of New York. Both highly recommended!

Title: Draco Malfoy and His Unknown Fate
(archived on my site)
Author: JitterBug
Rating: NC-17
Summary: Due to a difference of opinion, Draco is disinherited by his father. He now has to make his own way in life.
Review:  I love this fic! It's a long one, and follows the pattern of many long HP fics in that it begins in the summer and follows the characters for an entire school year, ending with the arrival back at King's Cross at the end of the year. The interesting thing about this story, however, is that it's written entirely from Draco's perspective. At the beginning of the story, Lucius disowns Draco after learning that he's gay, and Draco is forced to fend for himself for the summer and finds himself feeling more free than he ever has. What will Draco do with no "Malfoy" expectations to live up to, no family image to uphold?  What I really like about this fic is the reversal of what we normally see -- the Slytherins (even Crabbe and Goyle) are three-dimensional characters, while the Griffyndors are cardboard cutouts of brave heroes. Even Harry's behavior seems self-serving and strange from Draco's perspective. Their relationship develops slowly, and Draco must come to terms with the fact that he'll never really be Harry's equal. The fic has its flaws, including consistent grammatical errors and a few strange plot devices that aren't used as effectively as they could have been -- but it's easy to overlook them. The writing and the story are solid, and I highly recommend it.  (There's a sequel in the works, by the way, a WIP being posted at ffn: Draco Malfoy and his Happily Ever After.)

Title: The Lodger
( http://www.schnoogle.com /authors/mmartha/L01.html )
Author: Mad Martha
Rating: PG-13
Summary: Harry takes in a lodger...
Review: I find myself loving this sort of post-Hogwarts, redeemed!Draco/damaged!Harry fic! This is another good one, despite the fact that I feel a bit shortchanged by the complete lack of physical intimacy between the characters. It features a broken adult Harry, fighting depression and living in a post-Voldemort world in which he still must look over his shoulder constantly, living alone after watching many of those close to him die in the war. He decides to rent out a room in his house to none other than Draco Malfoy, who has been fighting his own share of demons and death threats after turning against Death Eaters during the war. The author allows their friendship and slowly growing trust to unfold in a very realistic way. The treatment of depression in this fic suggests that the author has some personal experience with and knowledge of the subject. This fic also features one of the best characterizations of Ron I've ever seen in fan fic -- he's strong, powerful, and intelligent, unlike the two-dimensional caricatures one often sees in H/D slash fic. The only thing I found frustrating about this story was the near-complete lack of sexual contact between Harry and Draco. I'm not talking about smut here -- I would have settled for a steamy kiss! The author takes the JKR "fade-to-black" approach quite to heart. I would have liked to have seen these two broken people trying to deal with their awkwardness and insecurities in bed, quite honestly. It would have shown us a good deal more about the process through which they eventually heal each other. Despite that, it's a wonderful fic, and I highly recommend it!

Title: Even Better Raw
(http://home.nyu.edu/~amw243/fiction/fic/narcissa_raw_01.html)
Author: Narcissa Malfoy
Rating: NC-17
Summary: None given, but I'll make a stab at it: Harry and Draco have a drunken weekend in muggle London.
Review: Damn! This is a very funny, hot, smart fic. Draco's astounding knowledge of muggle culture, along with Harry's charming naivete, set us up for the lovely ending. The author knows a lot about food and wine, and you may learn something from reading this. The food references pair nicely with the tension, makingthe writing utterly delicious. And did I say hot?

Title: Contingency
(http://www.livejournal.com/users/dorrie6/117759.html)
Author: dorrie6
Rating: PG-13
Summary: Draco beats Harry at Quidditch and his universe implodes.
Review: This is another example of a great characterization of Draco! His feelings for Harry hit him very suddenly, and he spends much of this fic confused and trying to sort it all out. And pay attention to the dream, too...

Lucius/Draco

Title: Passage to Eden
(http://slashcity.org/rushlight/eden.htm)
Author: Rushlight
Rating: NC-17
Summary: The seduction of Draco Malfoy. Lucius introduces Draco to some chemical relaxation, and Draco learns that paradise is often in the eye of the beholder.
Review:  Who ever knew incest could be so yummy?  Well, when written by Rushlight...  This is a gorgeous tale of Draco's seduction into his father's world of perversion.  It all happens so naturally that you never really go "ewwww -- incest" at all.  This is the fic that turned me on to this pairing.  Weird as that sounds.

Remus/Harry

(New) Title: Paper Moon
( http://mosh.slashcity.net /papermoon.htm )
Author: Mosh
Rating: NC-17
Summary: Harry goes to Grimmauld Place to help Remus clear out Sirius's old room, which leads to smut.
Review: This fic is so gorgeous, just a perfect fic for this pairing. Harry is underage and Remus is guilty and intrigued at the same time. So yummy!

Snape/Harry

Title: Idle Hands
(http://geocities.com/nimorii/idlehands.html)
Author: Nimori
Rating: NC-17
Summary: Harry Potter's Aunt Petunia always said the Devil finds work for idle hands, but what happens when the Devil has nothing to do? Written for the HPchan fic challenge.
Review:  This is a pairing that I typically don't read, because I just don't get it.  However, Nimori is such a fucking fantastic writer that she can make me like anything.  This story is typical Nimori -- beautifully crafted, intensely layered, and a bit of a mystery. (I'm still not sure what Harry meant when he said, "I'm going to tell Dumbledore." What was he thinking after that?)

Title: The Pandora Complex
(http://geocities.com/nimorii/pc1.html)
Author: Nimori
Rating: NC-17
Summary: Some boxes, once opened, are impossible to shut.
Review:  Again, Nimori is a genius!  This is one of the funniest things I've ever read!  The way that Snape becomes immersed in the internet is just Perfect, from not knowing how to work a computer, to having a snarky sig, to having an LJ and a web page.  It ends a little weirdly, but that doesn't affect the enjoyment factor.   

Links

Recs pages

New: Dorrie's HP recs: Fantastic set of recs!

New: Skuf's list of HP Slash Classics (results of a poll)

New: Skuf's list of the Fandom's Favorites (results of a poll)

New: Lazy_Daze's Ultimate HP Recs List

Switchknife's Rec page: Huge list of recs, all sorts of pairings

Archives

Malfoy Manor: Draco/X and Lucius/X fic. (Dead link)

Azkaban's Lair: large selection of Sirius/Remus fic.

The HP section of Fan Domination: Many fics, can search by pairings.

Fan Fiction.Net: The Harry/Draco stories -- there are many, and don't let that "R" rating limit fool you!

Fiction Alley: Lots of fun stuff here!

Ink Stained Fingers: Another great archive. Password protected, but the password can be found on the main page. (Dead link)

Red Moon Rising: Sirius/Remus, mostly.

Snitch Fiction dot Net: Big archive, many pairings.

The Harry Potter Slash Awards: Wow! Incredible selection of great fics! (Check out the "nominees" link at the bottom of the page for a long list of great fic.) (Dead link)

The Malfoy Slash Archive: Many Malfoy/X pairings, including some of the rarer ones. (Dead link)

Pure Magnetism: Another great Harry/Draco archive!

Diagon Alley: Harry Potter for Slightly Older Folk: Still under construction, but there's already a nice selection of fics to browse.